Baseball Wife
by pilight
Summary: Evelyn gets a chance to be on TV


Evelyn's phone rang at 10:15, like it did every morning. Blip always called after his initial workout. It was one of the many things she loved about her husband. She answered promptly; "Hey, babe."

"Hey. Did the kids get off to school alright?"

"No problem. Everything is running smooth today."

"That's good. Listen, Sam called me this morning." Sam Barnett was Blip's agent. "He wanted to know if you had representation."

"Me? Why would I need an agent?"

"I asked him and he said we should talk about it in person. He wants to see us tomorrow."

"I guess we better go. Maybe Ginny's made it possible for a woman who can't throw at all to play in the majors."

...

The next morning, Blip and Evelyn arrived at Sam's office and were shown in right away. In addition to Sam, there was a 40-ish woman in the office. Sam introduced her as Debbie Paul, an associate at the agency who worked in broadcast media. She gave Evelyn a business card.

It was Sam who started the meeting. "Yesterday I got a call from Jill Holmes. She knew I represented Blip, but she was interested in you, Ev. She figured I would know if you had an agent. I told her I didn't think you did and asked what she was working on. Jill is one of the producers of 'Basketball Wives'. She wants to start up a similar show, 'Baseball Wives', and thinks you would be a good fit."

Evelyn was stunned. She watched "Basketball Wives" religiously and had often daydreamed about starring in a "Baseball Wives" type show. She never thought it might actually happen. "They want me?"

"TV is different from sports, so after I called Blip to verify you didn't have an agent I brought in Debbie. She works in that area and has a better grasp of how it would work."

Debbie spoke next; "There was definite interest in you playing a prominent role in the show. Jill had done some research on you. She said you would be a good fit because you have an outgoing personality, plus you're young and attractive and would likely be telegenic."

The two agents couldn't tell, but Evelyn was blushing. She was not accustomed to getting this much praise and attention. "She really said that about me?"

"Yes. After I talked to her, I made a few other calls and two things stood out. One, baseball isn't as diverse as basketball. If they want an African American baseball wife, the options are limited. That could work in your favor."

Blip interjected; "It's about damn time that worked in our favor for something. I'm tired of getting pulled over because some redneck cop thinks my car is too good for me."

Debbie continued; "The second thing is she knows you're close friends with Ginny Baker. Jill might think having you on the show gives them a shot at getting some appearances from her."

Sam spoke up; "I spoke with Ginny's agent. She was not at all interested in having Ginny appear on a show like this and felt Ginny would be even less enthusiastic about it."

Blip and Evelyn both nodded and Evelyn answered; "It doesn't sound like her kind of thing."

Debbie was undeterred; "Nevertheless, if you pursue this it would be worthwhile to drop Ginny's name a few times during negotiations. Let them think you can persuade her to come on even if you never actually try to."

Sam brought the meeting to a head; "Now it's decision time. Evelyn, are you interested in doing this? If so, we'd like to represent you."

Blip and Evelyn looked at each other. Blip looked back at Sam; "We're gonna have to talk about this."

Sam expected this response; "Of course. Go home and talk it out. Sleep on it. Take all the time you need."

...

The drive home was silent. Evelyn had her phone out texting whoever it was she texted with while Blip concentrated on negotiating the mid day traffic. Both were thinking the car would be a bad place to have the discussion.

When they got home and Evelyn put her purse down, it was Blip who opened the conversation; "What do you think?"

"It's exciting. My whole life I've been somebody's daughter or somebody's wife or somebody's mother. This is the first time anyone wanted me for myself."

"Did you miss the name of the show?"

"Weren't you listening? They don't want me because you're the most famous player in the world. They want me. They want me for my personality."

"Yeah, and I saw how you lit up when she mentioned how attractive and telegenic you are."

"A woman likes to be complimented now and then. You should remember that, mister."

"I know why you want to do this. I get it. Your 18th birthday you were already married and seven months pregnant with twins. That's been your life. You never got a chance to pursue your own dream."

"What's my dream?"

"I've seen you watching 'Basketball Wives'. I've heard you acting out scenes like you were on the show. You've been wanting this a long time."

"I've fantasized about it, yes. Just like you've fantasized about being a rapper. I hear you spitting verses in the shower. That doesn't mean I really want to pursue it. It certainly doesn't mean that's my dream life."

"I don't want to be one of those guys who stands in the way of his wife's career." Blip's phone buzzed. "I gotta go. I told Al I'd be at the park by 1:00. We can talk more about this later."

...

The game went into extra innings, so by the time Blip got home Evelyn was already asleep. Once the kids school year started she didn't go to weeknight games. She had to make sure they got to bed, and she turned in early so she could be up to make their breakfast and take them to school. He was confused about their conversation earlier. Evelyn said it was exciting, but then acted like she didn't want to do the show. He was worried that she thought he was holding her back. When she turned up pregnant midway through their senior year in high school, he immediately married her. Truth was, he'd been thinking about marrying her since they were in the fourth grade and was planning to propose on graduation day. The twins just sped up the timetable. Evelyn had never once expressed anything but unbridled joy about him, their marriage, or the kids, but he still felt that nagging feeling that he'd robbed her of something. Her independence, a life of her own. Here was a chance for her to have a little bit of that, and he sensed she was afraid to go for it. Tomorrow he would set her straight.

...

Blip finished his morning workout and picked up his phone. He and Evelyn had not talked about the show this morning. She was busy with the kids and he did his usual eat and run routine. He'd kissed her goodbye, as always. The whole scene was unsettling in its normality. An outsider looking in would not have guessed they had anything major going on.

He was about to press the button to call when he heard her voice. "I'm right here, babe." He looked up to see Evelyn, her face a mask of solemnity. They went to the cafeteria to talk.

She wasted no time getting to the point; "I'm not doing the show."

"Yesterday you were excited about it. I know it's scary, but you shouldn't let that stop you."

"The offer is exciting. That they want me is exciting. The grind of doing a weekly TV show is not my kind of excitement. I know some of the 'Basketball Wives'. I was texting with them yesterday. I've heard what they have to do get that show made, the commitment of time and energy. There's a reason they're all divorced. That's not for me."

"OK. Sometimes I just hate that my life has taken over yours. I never wanted my dream to get in the way of yours."

"Blip Sanders, we met when we were six, we started dating when we were 14, we've been married for nine years, and I swear sometimes it's like you've never seen me before. Being famous is not my dream. Reality TV is for sure not my dream. My dream is you. My dream is the kids. My dream is family. I'm living my dream."


End file.
